Rainbow
by mufinz-r-just-ugly-cupcakez
Summary: A companion piece to "Mystical". Candi Jackson Stark always knew she was different. Growing up, she never felt like she perfectly belonged, even before she met her dad. Follow her through her life, before she was a Stark, and after she finds her home.
1. Ruby

When Candi was born, her eyes were originally orange. Her mother, fearing that her daughter might someday be seen with the wrong eyes, pleaded her father to change them. He did, changing the eyes of her brother and sister as well. After this, he left her, feeling ashamed of his birthright and the effect it would have on his children.

The last time Candi saw her father, she was two years old.

* * *

_In her house, it was normal for someone to have a strange color of skin. After all, when she was born, she wasn't exactly normal looking either. Her father and mother, though, both had beautiful blue skin. Her eyes, yellow, were only rivaled in intensity by the bright red allure of her father's. They were both filled with mirth, kind and understanding. Having bot been the black sheep in their families, they treated each other and their children with a love they had wished they had received themselves._

_Her mother though, stood in the kitchen making their family dinner. Candi sat in the living room, playing with the enchanted doll her father gave her. It talked and moved on its own, and and turned itself into her best friend, seeing as none of the children could go outside of their quaint home like their parents could, not having enough control over their magic yet. The doll grew with her, so it was the same size as her, to provide her with as much fun as possible. Her parents also realized that if the doll had a "normal" skin color, the girl might feel not as pretty, so, they made the doll match her wisteria skin tone, and made sure to compliment her on it everyday._

_Her mother was dancing along a song coming out of the old radio that sat on top of the refrigerator. It was a gift from her father to her mother, a replica of a classic radio from the 60's, reminiscent of her childhood. Her hips swayed back and forth to the beat of the music, and Candi became enthralled by how graceful her mother was. Standing on her pudgy toes, she out her hands out to balance herself. Caroline, her doll, stood next her, curious as to what was happening. She copied her mother's movements, but soon created her own, having so much fun._

_Her mother, unaware of her daughter's activities, only turned around when she felt a strong pair of arms wrap around her. "My love, look at our little Hershey kiss," he told her, referring to her as the nickname he created when she turned in her Aesir form when she was upset, her skin being a rich color of chocolate. They both turned around to view her swaying to the music that still played, Caroline giggling along next to her._

_Her father smirked at her mother, and then ran up behind the unsuspecting two year old, tickling her. She giggled and turned in his arms, kicking at him. He fake growled at her. "Rawr, I'm the Candy Monster! Give me all of your candy, Candi-Cane!" She giggled again and kicked, unknowingly hitting him on a bruise on his stomach from a battle he had just returned from with his brother. He hid the pain well, but sat her down, her super strength apparently growing stronger by the minute. It was only a matter of time before she was as strong as them. Her bright orange eyes peered at him, love and devotion in her eyes._

_"I missed you, Daddy." His heart melted and he picked her up in a hug._

_"Oh, I missed you too Candi-Cane."After their tender moment, Candi ran over to her mother and pulled her by her hand to where her and her father stood._

_"Now let's dance!"_

* * *

_That night, as she lay fast asleep in their bed-she would have slept in her room but her other two siblings were sick and they didn't want her to catch it either- her parents spoke in hushed whispers downstairs in the kitchen._

_"Sweetheart, we need to talk." The seemingly young man turned to his pacing wife, confused with her agitation. "Why yes, of course my darling. What's wrong?" She sat him down at the small coffee table, taking his hands in hers._

_"I'm worried, for the children. Love, there have been stories told to me, by contacts far more involved in that world than I am." His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb._

_"Why have they been saying?"_

_"There's a man, they say. Who talks of making the perfect one of us. His name Stryker, I last heard." She shook her heard, trying to shake off the tears that were threatening to fall._

_"Do not worry, my love. I shall strike down these-"_

_"No! Sweetheart, you can't fight everyone! We need to act preemptively. We need to remove as much of their mutations, physically anyway, as possible." He sighed, feeling guilty. He put his kids into this mess, and now he needed to get them out._

_All through the night he worked his magic on his children, removing the swirling tattoos from their arms and legs, and only leaving it on their torsos. He also made it so that their Aesir forms were the default, and he changed their eye color from that bright, radiant orange to something more subtle. Still not normal, but nothing a radioactive, nothing as __**dangerous**__ as that bright mix of their eyes._

_That night, after her mother had gone to sleep as well, he walked over to his side of the bed, where she lay. He kissed her forehead, and whispered in her ear._

_"My sweet Candi-cane, fear not for your life as your mother does, but rejoice in it as I do. My darling, may I return to you someday." Before he could stand up though, she turned, and opened her now lavender eyes to peer at him. "I love you Daddy," she whispered._

_"As do I, my child." He left in a puff of smoke, the faint smell of peppermint curiously wafting through the air._

* * *

Not remembering the past color of her eyes, every time Candi viewed the color orange, a deep sadness ran through her.

It was a while before she realized why.


	2. Amber

A year after her father left, her mother moved her, to a school with more kids like her. Even there, she had trouble fitting in.

* * *

_The heavy smell of burnt wood and sweaty kids always greeted her when she woke up._ Scott must've been upset, _she thought to herself as she got up._

_Even at six, she was a smart girl. She got it from her dad, her innate genius and cleverness. But on her mother's side, she got her kind and caring spirit, always going out of her way to help other people._

_Except, at this school, she really didn't fit in. Sure, her skin was a pale purple hue and so were her eyes, but she really didn't have any powers, per say. She had mastered changing into her Aesir form, but that was it. The other kids always teased her for it, saying that she was useless. Her mom tried to stop them but, since she wasn't on the best ground with the other adults, they didn't step in._

_But yet in still, she held on to that distant memory of dancing with her father, and she held on to the joy that still came with dancing. She would dance when she was alone, choreographing her dancing to the melody of chirping birds, or the beat of leaky faucets. She never needed a reason to dance, but in this school, she always needed a reason to smile. And dancing gave that to her._

_This one fair autumn day, most of the kids were gone. Most of them were summer students, their parents sending them here when they needed an excuse to ignore their child more often. She, however, was more of a permanent member, staying with her mother. Her mom had split up her other two siblings, leaving one in Dallas, another and New Hampshire. She, though, was kept with her mom, for reasons she didn't know._

_She wandered along the grounds, skipping along the tree line. No one was out here, so she decided to start dancing._

_The birds were chirping loudly today, which excited her. It was almost as if they had been waiting for her. She had dreams of nature now, the only thing that kept her going was the rhythm of the nature order that was life. She took off her shoes, her feet sinking into the wet mud. She wiggled her little toes, and giggled. She took deep breaths, letting herself drop her guard._

_She started to dance, gracefully, with abandon. A little bit wild, a little bit crazy. She spun and she leaped and she laughed and she played. She was happy, she was free. It was exactly how her mother had wanted her to feel._

_Except, she could never have her way for long._

_"Oh, look at the wittle-bitty baby dancing! Aw, look at her, isn't she just so cute!" Scott Summers seemed to always have it out for her, even though she had tried to be nice to him. He and his posse were always tripping her up or making her cry._

_She had been feeling powerful, feeling strong. She still felt like that, yet she was fueled by anger this time. She didn't back down.* *"What do you want, Scott? Why don't you ever leave me alone?" His eyebrows shot up, amused._

_"Oh wow, this kitty has claws!" She rolled her eyes and tried to walk away, but he kept stepping in front of her. She grew angrier, annoyed with his disrespectful attitude._

_"Just leave me alone, Scott." She tried to walk away again, but he kept getting in her way, this time starting to shove her around._

_"Or what? You'll tell on me? The only person who likes you here is your mom. And realistically, I doubt that she even loves you." Her anger had reached its peak at that. She had always struggled with her self esteem, from the time her dad left, but that was the last straw._

_"Just leave me ALONE!" And with that, she pushed him, using every bit of energy she had. Maybe she had used too much, but a bright purple light came out of her hands as she pushed him, sending him soaring back about 30 feet. His friends looked on in astonishment, but soon they realized how dangerous she was and ran off, yelling for a teacher._

_Despondent and horrified, she picked up her shoes and walked inside, curling into herself. She went to her room, and sat down on her bed, her head hanging. Soon, a knock on the door made her look up. She didn't respond, and after a few seconds they walked in. It was her mom, looking saddened._

_"Baby, I-"_

_"We have to leave, I know." She stood up, and started to pack up her meager belongings._

_Sweetie, it's for the-"_

_"It's always for the best, isn't it? There was never a point where we acted just to be happy, huh? There was always the 'future' to look for, the man out for us. I just want to be normal, not living in places where the grey is too big. I need black and white, I need structure."_

_Her mom walked over to her after her mini rant, and took her into her arms.* *"I bet your dad sounded just as smart as you when you were his age. You get your smarts from him, you know."_

_"Yeah, but we're different. You know why? I don't run away from my problems."_

* * *

Somewhere far, far away, a god looked on sadly, his love unable to travel that great a distance. He missed her, he really did, but his family here was asking too many questions, watching too much. They had too much knowledge, he couldn't hide her, he_ wouldn't_ hide her. She shined so bright, it would be a crime to hide her.

So he kept his distance, on her birthday sending her little gifts of luck, maybe he'd enchant bullies to stay away, or "convince" her mom's boss to let her off that day so they could be together. It was heartbreaking, to watch his little girl grow up without him in her life. He wanted to be there, he just...

Couldn't.


	3. Citrine

Ever since she was about four years old, Candi knew something was wrong with her in her mind. She was too smart, she felt too deeply for someone her age. The blissfully numb feeling that was supposed to be graced with childhood wasn't there for her, and she loathed it. She had reached peak emotional maturity at 8 years old, too young, too fast. At that age, she could feel anything, especially love. She only met one other person like her.

* * *

_It was October, and everyone, including Candi, was excited. October meant Halloween, and for Candi, that meant not having to hide. Every year she went as an "alien", but no one commented on it because her costume was always so realistic. That year though, the school was holding a dance after school, a fun little thing for the kids. Her best friend had asked her to go, and she accepted it (and if the only reason that she accepted the invitation was that she thought that she was cute, well, the world may never know, now will they?). Her mother had cautiously said yes, worried about her, but not wanting to restrict her like Xavier did to herself._

_And so, they were now sitting here on the bathroom counter, piling on the eyeliner and black lipstick to make Candi's appearance as an Alien Princess Bride more believable, complete with the the pinned back hair, and the crown made of "play-doh" bones. Although, her mother wondered, why would someone go through the trouble of leaving a box wrapped in luxurious green ribbon, seemingly out of no where, only to have to bones be made of play-doh? Only a man with mischief on his mind, she concluded. _

_Her mother had worked as a tailor, so every year she would ask her to make her something that fit her needs for that year. This year, it was a black, bridal dress. It was tastefully ripped in all of the right places, and was all around beautiful for her look. She made her daughter pose and twirl and spin until it was time to go, and then Candi eagerly dragged her to the car. _

_At the school, the party had just gotten into full swing when she arrived. The usually antiseptic like-gym space was turned into a dance floor, with age appropriate music blaring. There was candy and sugar and food, all of the right things to keep them occupied. Basically, it was everything a normal child needed to keep busy. Candi however, was not normal. She almost immediately grew bored, not seeing her friend on the dance floor. She settled down at a table in a dark corner, seeing, not watching. She let the freedom and energy she felt hum through her at being free collect, and she could feel her eyes getting brighter, and the swirling patterns on her back and chest start to tingle. She stopped, fearing what could happen if she didn't. She rested her head back on the chair, and relaxed. She didn't open them until she felt a tap on her shoulder about five minutes later._

_ It was her friend, Annabelle. She was French-Canadian, able to speak both languages. She had fire red hair and piercing green eyes, that faintly reminded her of someone, but she didn't know who. She was also the girl of Candi's affection. At that age, kids didn't understand physical affection, and all of the things that supposedly went along with the word love. To her, all it meant that it was she was willing to fight for, to die for._

_ To expose herself for._

_ She had come to this realization in the middle of night, dripping in sweat, her pillow having a hole burned through it. She had a nightmare, one that hoped would never have to come true._

_ Annabelle was hurt. _

_It was no secret that Annabelle's father was abusive, but according to Annabelle, it never escalated past mean words and her hiding out in her room. But Candi knew, from having to pick the glass out of her side, and having to set a dislocated shoulder (to be honest, sometimes she felt like she gained that knowledge like magic, it just appeared in her brain when she needed it for some reason) that that wasn't true. But she never told, by Annabelle's request. _

_"Hey you," an accented voice chirped. Candi opened an eye to find a tuxedo clad Annabelle wave at her. She opened both to realize that she was Frankenstein, face makeup covering her freckles and perpetually blushing cheeks. _

_"Hey you, yourself. Wow, how'd you get your make up done?" Annabelle shrugged, sitting down next to her. _

_"You know how much I love make up." Candi nodded, and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Her mom had always joked about how those girls were two peas in a pod, silent yet brimming with the most amazing things for an eight year old to say. _

_"This sucks." It was thirty minutes later, and both girls were bored out of their minds. All of their unsuspecting classmates were dancing, hooping and hollering, while they still sat at that lonely table. _

_"Come with me." Annabelle abruptly stood up from the table, hand outstretched. Candi stared at it. _

_"We're not supposed to go anywhere." _

_"I know." Annabelle winked, and smirked, her green eyes flashing. Candi's resolve was dissolved, and so they fled, shadows in the dark room. _

_"Where are we going?" Candi whispered as Annabelle tugged her down the hall. She didn't answer, just kept running. Finally, after about a minute or two, she opened up a door, and shoved Candi in it, following her and locking it from the inside. _

_"Hi," she panted out. Candi ignored the bruise that was rapidly healing on her hip from being tossed in there, and instead smiled back at her. _

_"Hi." _

_"Isn't this better?" Annabelle spread her arms wide, beaming. Candi took a look at the dirty walls of the janitor's closet, raising an eyebrow. _

_"Sure...?" Annabelle laughed and started to climb up the shelves. _

_"What are you doing?" "Something!" She punched in a code on a key pad Candi didn't know was there, and watched the ceiling open up to the roof. She climbed up on it, and beckoned Candi to follow. They sat quietly, staring at the newly emerged night sky, crickets chirping. It was brisk outside, and Candi started to shiver. Annabelle noticed, and wrapped her jacket around her. She blushed, but thanked her. _

_"Neither one of us is normal, we both know that Candi." She broke the silence suddenly, her voice full of emotion. _

_"Yeah, we're way too smart to be eight years old, we both know that." Annabelle turned to her, green eyes dark. _

_"No, I mean neither one of us is *normal*." As she said this, her body seemed to disappear, leaving Candi seemingly alone on the roof. A few seconds later though, she reappeared, her big eyes peering at Candi. _

_"Yeah," she quietly rasped out, "neither one of us is normal." She held out her hand and a bit of the energy she had stored earlier swirled in her palm, the pale purple that matched her skin. _

_"Something tells me that this isn't costume make up, huh?" Candi shook her head, and turned her skin back to it's normal color. _

_"No! Don't-I mean. Please change back. I like your skin color, it matches you." She slowly let her skin change back, never having been complemented on it by someone other than her mother or Caroline. _

_"You're like the Bride of Darkness to my Frankenstein." Candi blushed, her cheeks turning a darker purple. _

_"We're both girls." Annabelle had gotten closer now, eyes even bigger and sweeter in Candi's line of sight. _

_"So? That doesn't change the fact that you're mine." Annabelle punctuated her sentence with a kiss on the cheek, massive for kids even of their intellect. Candi squeaked. But before she could say anything, though, a scream ripped through the gym, floating up to where they were. She spotted Annabelle's dad's car in the parking lot, and could smell the burn of whiskey. _

_"Annabelle, it's your dad. He's here, and I think he's drunk." _

_**BANG BANG** _

_"Was that a gun?" _

* * *

_Both girls ran into the gym, shocked at what they saw. Her dad was holding a pistol, pointing it at the scared group of students and teachers. Luckily no one was hurt, the plaster on the floor said that he fired warning shots, thankfully. _

_He turned when the girls came in, a malicious smile on his drunk face. "Ah yes, my freak of a daughter! And oh look, you brought your friend too!" All eyes shifted to them, but Candi couldn't care less. All she could think about was Annabelle. _

_He grabbed her, too fast for Candi to stop him. He pointed the gun at her head, making her shake. "So *Annie*," he sneered, spitting out the condescending nickname, "how about you tell your classmates about how fucked up you are?" She struggled in his arms, and he cocked the gun in response. _

_"Your choice." She sighed, defeated. She disappeared like she did on the roof, a chorus of gasps echoing around her. He laughed darkly, enjoying the terrible scene. _

_"You're fucking disgusting, you mutant freak of a- *ow*!" _

_Annabelle bit him, causing him to loosen his grip. She slipped away from him, still invisible. He shot wildly, and somehow caught her. She appeared again, blood streaming out of her ankle. She started to cry, in pain. _

_Candi, having sat by, was not okay with this. With a roar that seemed impossible to come from her body, she flew at him, her energy streaking out of her. Her hair flew like tendrils in the air, and designs that hadn't been on her arms in six years appeared again, pulsing with rage. She tackled the man, and started to pummel his face. She hit him until she couldn't anymore, and after that, she crawled over to Annabelle. _

_The girl weakly smiled at her. "You saved me." Candi shook her head, tears forming. _

_"I was too late. He hurt you." _

_"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be alright." Candi tried to protest, but the look from Annabelle stopped her in her tracks. _

_"You know I'll probably never be able to see you again, right?" Annabelle sighed. _

_"Yeah, I know. I'm different too, remember?" Candi nodded. _

_"I'll never forget you, you know." _

_"And neither will I. Can you do me a favor?" _

_"Yeah?" Annabelle stared at her, her green eyes dulling, signalling that she was passing out. _

_"**Allez-vous rester mon monstre mariée?**" Candi just nodded, not understanding what she said. _

_"Thank you," she whispered as she lost her consciousness. Candi could only wail over her body, waiting for the paramedics._

* * *

It seemed as though luck was on her side, because it was like everyone had **magically** forgot that they were mutants, only that Candi had saved the day. They moved again though, leaving behind everything that was good and bad in that town. Her father, having been watching her, frowned. He was upset that they moved, he could tell she was happy there. But, as a small consolation for her, he made sure that Annabelle was put into a good foster home, and made sure that she was well taken care of. It was the least he could do. Anything for his baby girl, even if, she didn't know it was from him.


End file.
